29 September 2009 11:47 AM

The bosses at Vicarage Road are feeling very confused. After enormous investment, mass player upheaval and a furious publicity drive that took the side from Twickenham to Wembley in the opening weeks of the season, Saracens are sitting on top of the table, with four wins from four. So what's the problem?

Well, the fans aren't happy. Or, at least, a loud, booing chunk of them. Yesterday, Sarries chief executive Edward Griffiths felt compelled to address the 'astonishing' behaviour of his own club's fans on Sunday, after sections of the home crowd booed their side during the second half against Gloucester.

Despite the hard-fought 19-16 win, supporters jeered and slow hand-clapped towards the end of the game, obviously unimpressed by the lengthy spells of kicking at Vicarage Road.

'It was astonishing to hear a vocal minority of the crowd booing the team during the second half,' Griffiths said on the club's website. 'At a time when the side were trailing by two points, at a time when they were straining every muscle to seize the victory, the players surely deserved unequivocal support.'

Saracens have come in for criticism already this season over a perceived negativity in their style of play. Despite opening the season in front of huge crowds at Twickenham and Wembley ― in a bid to attract new fans to the North London club ― Brendan Venter's side are consistently putting pragmatism above entertainment on the pitch. And with a disappointing turnout of only 7,777 on Sunday, it seems that people have noticed.

Griffiths added: 'We can talk about game plans and debate tactics. We can argue the merits of kicking for territorial position or running from deep. We can discuss the laws of the game, and mull over the traits of winning teams in recent years. Make no mistake, everybody is entitled to their opinion.

'However, let's be clear ― we want to turn the tide and build a winning culture at Saracens. This is a mighty challenge, but it is a challenge we can certainly meet if, as a united club, we can stand together and back each other together.'

All very well Mr Griffiths, but the thing is you need to build a fan base, not buy one. Clever publicity ― and Saracens are doing a fantastic job on that front ― may well attract some curious individuals to pop down to Vicarage Road on a sunny Saturday afternoon, but only entertainment on the pitch will keep them coming back. And at the moment, Saracens are not that entertaining. Professional? Yes. Impressive? Yes. Difficult to beat? Definitely. But entertaining? Right now, a Robbie Williams concert is more appealing. At least he tries to entertain you.

Griffiths goes on to argue: 'When was the last time the Leicester Tigers were booed by any section of the crowd at Welford Road? Ever? When was the last time Manchester United were booed by even a small section of the crowd at Old Trafford? Ever. At a winning club with a winning mentality, the home supporters simply do not boo the players. Ever.'

Fine, but such loyalty is gained over time. The fan-club relationship takes time to develop, and with time comes trust. Eventually. If the new Saracens project seeks a bunch of new fans (with bulging wallets), then they're just going to have to accept that the new kids on the block are going to want their money's worth on the pitch. And if they don't like what they see, they'll tell you about it. Bored fans won't hang around forever.

The healthy truth is it's not only a results business.

If only Shakespeare was a rugby coach...

So John Kingston has admitted that the summer has taken some toll on his Harlequins squad after all. After Friday's 17-17 draw with Newcastle he said: 'The background with which we have come into this season has been unique and something nobody would ever wish on anybody.

'(The scandal) has been sitting around me about 30 per cent of my life, therefore I would have to say that could you question whether I could operate on 70 per cent of what I should be thinking about. So that is probably an accurate analogy of everyone at Harlequins.'

Putting aside the fact that it would take Carol Vorderman to explain quite what he means, his side are desperately trying to scrub the stain of bloodgate off their hands. The problem is they are still distracted by the weight of that scandal and all the baggage that came with it. In fact, right now Quins are the Lady Macbeth of the Guinness Premiership. If Kingston had the poetic ear of Shakespeare, he'd surely have said...

Out, damned spot! out, I say!―One: two: why,

then, 'tis time to do't.―Hell is murky!―Fie, my

lord, fie! ... What need we

fear who knows it, when none can call our power

to account?―Yet who would have thought the old

man to have had so much blood in him? Macbeth; V.i

...or something similar. No prizes for guessing which part Deano would get in that particular play...

Geech's booze-up was ultimate hangover cure

Meanwhile, in the Mail on Sunday's exclusive extracts from Ian McGeechan's autobiography, Geech revealed the old-fashioned way in which his Lions recovered from the heart-breaking second Test defeat this summer.

'We abandoned the policy of recovery with a bottle of water and a health drink and went back in time with a fair amount of alcohol. But we drank together, we stayed together, we slept it off and then we found that defeat was out of our systems.'

Further proof, if ever needed, that Geech knows rugby like nobody else ― because first and foremost he knows people. By dropping the strict post-match regime, he brought the side closer together when they could so easily have fallen apart. The result? One thumping victory a week later.

A few jars was the only training the squad needed after that defeat, but I bet only Geech would have led them to the bar.

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21 September 2009 7:15 PM

It's still early days in the season, but another weekend of meaty action has left us with plenty to chew over. At the top end of the table Wasps are defying tradition with their early form, Saracens look imperious and London Irish are rampant. At the bottom, Quins are rudderless and Leeds left reeling by Toby Booth's bullies.

But away from the headline-grabbing thrills and spills, what else have we learned from the third weekend of the Guinness Premiership?

What's in a name?

The new Caterpillar Stand at Welford Road was unveiled to much fanfare over the weekend, and impressive it is too, proving more of a hit than the dull encounter with Newcastle. The Tigers have now failed to score a try for 259 minutes in the Premiership, but the 24,000 capacity don't and won't mind while the side is still winning at the Welford cocoon. After all, winning ugly is what Leicester do so brilliantly. They get down and dirty and often crawl, rather than soar, to victory. A Butterfly Stand just wouldn't make sense.

Plenty of wingmen in waiting

It was a miserable week for Martin Johnson on the injury front, losing the star quality of Delon Armitage and Riki Flutey with the autumn internationals just around the corner. But at least the Premiership is currently awash with gas-guzzling English wingers firing on all cylinders. The Quins duo of Ugo Monye (left) and David Strettle look lethal every time they touch the ball, while Tom Varndell has gained new lease of life at Wasps, competing with the likes of Paul Sackey and David Lemi for a spot in his club side. Elsewhere Saracens' Noah Cato and Sale's Mark Cueto have both started the season well, and considering Lesley Vainikolo was playing his first game since January, his Lomu-esque battering-ram running was a reminder of his class. Good luck picking two or three from that lot, Johnno.

Rugby highlights fail to soar

With all due respect to ITV, who thankfully put together a Premiership highlights package on Sunday afternoon, the programme doesn't have the same appeal as its celebrated football equivalent. It's not that we miss Lineker's orange hue, or Hanson's whining, but actually ― sadly ― that the game of rugby does not work in a highlights format in the same way as football. A football match can be condensed into a short selection of chances, goals and controversy, and a viewer can come away with a pretty decent sense of the game. Not so with rugby. The game flows, momentum switches and the plot develops without tries or points necessarily being scored ― or even near misses for that matter. As such, it is almost impossible to reduce a match into a friendly, five-minute format without butchering so much of the story.

Oh Danny boy's looking all grown up

Cipriani needed a fresh start this season. The pins came out of his ankle in the summer, meaning he was finally free of the wretched injury which put him out of action ― and kept the headlines coming faster than his recuperation. He's ditched the scrumhat and gone for old-school tape instead. As a result he looks like Cipriani the rugby player, not Cipriani the bubble-wrapped party boy that some people wanted him to be. 'Tis the season to let his rugby do the talking and for everyone else to stop judging him.

Back on the highway to h-ELV

The IRB's much-lamented Experimental Law Variations may be a thing of the past but their legacy lived on at the weekend as many fixtures were reduced to aerial ping pong at times. Minutes were lost up and down the country as sides exchanged meaningless kicks ― much to the frustration of fans. It was hoped that reverting back to the old laws would put a stop to last season's aerial obsession. Alas, it seems some habits are just too hard to kick.

The award for worst-dressed fan goes to...

It may be London Fashion Week, but you wouldn't have known it at the Stoop during the Harlequins-Saracens clash. If there were a worst-dressed fan award, it would have to be a close call between the die-hard supporters of these two sides. Take your pick between the Saracens Fezheads or the multi-coloured chef trousers sported by the most devout of Quins supporters, both are surely crimes against fashion. And for the confused fan in the South stand who wasn't sure which team he was supporting, wearing two wrongs don't make a right.

And finally...

For those who have been wondering all week how Jonah Lomu got on in his weightlifting competition (see below), I can bring you the disappointing news that rugby's very own Terminator came second. Honestly Jonah, Arnie would be ashamed.

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16 September 2009 11:04 AM

OK, it's not quite Guinness Gossip, but with the Pumas ready to pounce, the Boks beating the Blacks and Lomu lifting for victory, there's been a whirlwind of rugby news migrating North of the equator this week. Meanwhile, all we've had to talk about is the loss of England's most potent attackers and the premature return of winter.

To dwell on such bad news would simply be depressing. So, without further ado, welcome to a Southern Hemisphere special...

The Boks keep on roaring

Congratulations to South Africa. Let's be honest, it wasn't a vintage Tri-Nations (it hasn't been for some time) but although the Boks may not have deserved to win the battle against the All Blacks on the weekend, they certainly deserved to win the war. Criticised unfairly in some quarters for conservative play throughout the tournament, it was a case of if you can't beat them, complain about them.

Sadly neither the All Blacks nor the Wallabies learned from the Lions in the summer. Any side on the planet will struggle to beat this Springbok side with raw power, but Geech's warriors showed that you can compete with an emphasis on pace and flair. There's no way through them but there is a way round them. Or, at least, there is a way through them once you've gone round them for a bit...

Best Bok side in history? Not by a long shot. The All Blacks played with a bit of invention in the second half on Saturday and look what happened. In the last 20 minutes South Africa could not compete with the pace and precision of the onslaught.

Alas, it was close but the cigars belonged to Peter De Villiers. And can't you just see him enjoying a leisurely Cuban this weekend in front of the All Black-Australia dead rubber...

Don't Tri for me Argentina

Better late than never, the team of the 2003 World Cup ― and deserved bronze medallists ― have finally been awarded their just deserts. Yes, terms and conditions apply, but surely red tape won't stop the Pumas joining the Tri-Nations tournament in 2012.

They will bring spice, mystery and entertainment into what has sadly become a stale format. The SANZAR sides have simply played each other too much over recent years and fresh blood is not only welcome but a necessary addition to the competition.

After so much preaching for so many years, we finally have proof that the sport's ruling bodies are genuinely determined to expand the game. Even if the Pumas prop up the Four Nations table for the first couple of seasons, their inclusion will do more good than harm for the global game.

And they'll put up one of hell of a fight in the process.

Jonah from whale to weightlifter

Rugby legend Johah Lomu has meanwhile decided to swap the All Blacks for the All Buffs this weekend as he flexes his muscles in a bodybuilding contest.

The 34-year-old winger played 63 Tests for New Zealand before his career was sadly cut short by a kidney disease that required a transplant in 2004.

Officially retiring from the game in 2007, Lomu started weightlifting to regain his fitness after ballooning out to 142 kg.

'I started out wanting to get in shape and it has gone from there,' he said. 'I've always loved lifting weights ― just ask the All Blacks ― so it has been a lot of fun. I cannot wait to get up there on Saturday.'

After a number of failed attempts to get back into the sport, Lomu is set to join French third division side Marseille in November. In his bid to get fit for his comeback he was persuaded to take centre stage in the Wellington body building championship.

'I've got a seven-month-old boy now and I want him to see me looking healthy and being healthy,' Lomu added. 'I want my son to see me as a 50-year-old with a six-pack, not a beer gut.'

'You do look in the mirror at your body and it's amazing how critical you become. I'm seeing myself in different shape. It's been hard work but anybody can be a bodybuilder, it's all about discipline.'

The first true global superstar of rugby union, Lomu burst to fame in the 1995 World Cup scoring four tries against England in the semi-final. Quite literally trampling over every defender in his path ― and infamously using up at least one of Mike Catt's nine lives in the process ― Will Carling joked after the game: 'He is a freak and the sooner he goes away the better.'

He didn't go anywhere and four years later became the record World Cup try scorer with 15 tries in only two competitions.

Lomu is now looking to make a similar impact on the weightlifting world, although he admits that donning tanning oil under the spotlight will be a different experience to putting on the famous black rugby kit.

'I've got a year-round tan but they reckon I need this.'

In a contest that is as much about psyching out your opposition as impressing the judges with your flexing biceps, the world awaits its first oiled-up, topless haka.

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10 September 2009 8:00 PM

The Guinness Premiership season may have only just begun, but James Haskell's domestic campaign is well on the way. The new stud at Stade Francais is already fluent in French rugby, even if his linguistic ability lacks a certain je ne sais quoi.

During a charity sevens tournament that briefly brought him back to these shores, the England flanker found a minute to talk about life in gay Paree and his take on the new season. And by the look of him, he hasn't swapped protein shakes for croissants just yet...

How does Top 14 rugby compare to the Premiership?

It is definitely different. The first few games haven't been as physical as a Wasps-Leicester encounter or a big Premiership derby because they play more expansively out there. There's a lot more desire to avoid contact than to actually take it which means it's a bit more flowing.

Did you get to see much of the opening weekend of the season?

I didn't watch any of it to be honest. I obviously follow results and I'm still a Wasps fan at heart so I followed what happened with them and they got a good win.

What are your predictions for the season?

I thinks Wasps will do well. I had lunch with (Wasps captain) Tom Rees the other day and dinner with Joe Worsley and they said there's a great spirit in the squad. They're very much alive and they've had a great pre-season. I haven't seen a lot of the other clubs. Obviously Sale got a good start beating Leicester. But I think, as in France, there are no easy games and no teams who are going to struggle. It's going to be very open for the first four or five weeks.

Do you think your experience of French rugby could come in handy for the Six Nations?

Are you saying England won't pick me on ability but because of my inside knowledge...

Err...not at all! But you must be itching to get back into the England set-up.

The way Martin Johnson operates is with a lot of honesty — if you're performing well that's when you get involved. I've got to fight myself into training and then from training on to the bench, and then, hopefully, into the starting XV. It's a ladder, but I've got to impress the new Stade coach before I do anything else.

Thanks for bringing that up, were you surprised the coaching team got sacked this week?

I certainly didn't expect it. My French isn't the best so everyone could have been talking about it and I would have had no idea! I was very surprised. I came back to England on Monday and when I got back to France on Tuesday everyone had been sacked. The owner (Max Guazzini) told me that every time I come back to England he's going to change things again so I don't know what's going to happen next time I come back!

How is your French then?

It's better than it was. I've been having three-hour lessons every day and I try to speak as much as I can with the guys. It's just frustrating because I can start a sentence in French then have to revert back to English to finish it.

Do you feel involved in the squad or is the language barrier a problem?

I definitely feel involved in the squad because my focus out there is 100 per cent rugby. I've got nobody else but my team, apart from my brother and my flat-mate.

How's the pink shirt working out for you?

It feels very exhilarating actually! I love the shirt. Max is obviously a marketing genius out there and I love the kit. It was never a concern of mine. The level of loudness is pretty good this season but I reckon there's room for a little bit more craziness.

Speaking of craziness, it must have been bizarre hearing about Bloodgate from over the channel?

Well I didn't know about it because for five or six weeks I hadn't seen a paper or watched any TV. Our French TV didn't work so I had no idea. I only caught up with the situation the other day and everything that could possibly have been written or said on the matter has been. In my mind the matter's closed. It's a by-product of professional sport. People make mistakes and you have to move on.

James Haskell was speaking at the Trafigura rcuk charity sevens event in aid of Demelza.

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09 September 2009 2:32 PM

Competitive, controversial, fierce and flowing, the opening weekend of the Guinness Premiership season had it all. Here are some of the picks...

High:

The Rolling Maul

It's back and more beautiful than ever. Gone last season but never forgotten, one of the most glorious sights in union — and an integral element of the game — has returned thanks to the scrapping of the ELV that permitted collapsing the maul. It was dangerous and perverse and the game will be quicker and more open without it.

Low:

George Robson's head butt

Forty seconds was all it took. Quins would have wanted 40 games before courting such controversy but in less than a minute they were making all the wrong headlines once again. Poor Will Skinner's face said it all. So stupid it's difficult to know where to start. So I won't.

High:

Will Greenwood's honesty

A former Quin so honest and appalled by Bloodgate that he openly stated he would have thrown his old club out of the Heineken Cup had it been his decision. A role model on the pitch and now, it seems, a role model off it as well.

Low:

Summer hangover

There are only two clubs at the bottom of the table with nul points — Bath and Harlequins. It would seem that no matter how hard you try, you can't keep scandal out of the changing room. A first win cannot come soon enough for either club but with such strong squads it can't be too far away. Can it?

High:

Close calls

Even on the opening weekend every fixture was fiercely competitive. Four of the six games finished with four points or less separating the sides. It really is a league where anyone can beat anyone, home or away.

Low:

Lamb to the slaughter

A poor start to the season for Ryan Lamb at his new club London Irish, but the jeers after a couple of nervous kicks were horribly unfair. A very talented player and a good signing but he must settle down quickly and mature as a Catt-like controller.

High:

England's finest

Neil Back and Jason Robinson both looked instantly at home on the touchline in the top flight. A pair of Twickenham legends who could not stay away from the game, they will offer quite a sideshow this season.

Low:

The breakdown

Each referee seemed to offer a different interpretation of how much a side can get away with at the breakdown. That is not to criticise the referees but the ambiguity of the laws. The rules at the breakdown must be consistent and fair.